Actually, no. Cars like the 300 are old W210 platform based (E class). My Mercedes did not have build quality issues worth speaking of. As a convertible it would only exhibit cowl shake on the most roughest of surfaces like train tracks. The car was built like a brick **** house and the doors sealed on that soft top car better than many hardtop cars. This thread is basically going to end up a pissing match. For everyone who claims the Jag is better than the Benz I can find 10 others who will say the opposite.

I say if you like your car or the brand across the board for any reason that is just fine. However, because someone's boss sold a Benz to buy a Jag or someone knows a guy who used to date this chick who's brother's nephew has a cousins with a brother in-law that had a problematic Mercedes means they are all trash is just foolish. It is a known fact that Mercedes has had some issue with quality here and there but people squirm when they hear Jaguar and they don't when they hear Mercedes.

I think Jaguar has a lot of style that other high end cars lack. I don't think they are better built or more reliable than most cars. I've owned a Mercedes and a Jaguar so I can put out my first hand experiences with both cars. I'm not trying to come to a Jag forum and bash the brand (it may seem that way) but Mercedes are not junk and many Jaguars are not as bad as the average Joe would be think. Each will have its own set of quirks and I just find those of the Mercedes to be more tolerable.

 

Jaguar is a lifestyle - a way to show your unique personality. Mercedes is just Mercedes - with all the incredible history, technology etc. To be honest - I used to have two Mercedes before, Mitsubishi and a Saab and the Jag is the car with the most repairs I had to do even owning it for 4 months... But I love it anyway... Why? Because it's Jaguar and it's my precious

 

Remember Top Gear's motoring survey from 2002? Mercedes held the 7 lowest spaces, if I remember correctly. No coincidence that Jaguar XJ placed #1, it's a legend.

I have a friend with a mint 300CE, and everywhere inside there are signs of massive cheapness (this is one of the best built Mercedes, and that shows in many contrasting ways), but you can see trim pieces that are substandard, for example, the seatbelt housing for the front passengers suck. One guy who was riding with us asked if the owner had cut the holes himself!

At 135mph, the front signal lamp tilted so far outward, it looks like it almost came out of its housing! Also, the car is missing the bit of trim that surrounds the antenna. He hasn't had big problems mechanically (its only got like 80k), from what he says, but the quality issues are apparent.

I notice that all the complainers about quality have a 1998-1999. I'll bet if you bought a comparably equipped S500 from the same year, it would probably be way worse. There is so much expensive stuff that breaks.

Also, it is largely up to the previous owner's actions.

Estillian... I am surprised about the Saab. My father was Service Manager at a luxury dealer when they sold Saab, and he said they were the most unreliable hunk of garbage ever to enter a U.S. road. (He previously had dealt with BMW, Cadillac, RR, Bentley, etc). I trust his diagnosis, they had more electrical problems than a house that was on fire.

My Jaguar is 10 years old, and it has been an exceptional experience. I've put 11k on it with next to no problems. My parents have an 8 year old XK8, and it has been great too.

1998 must have been a bad year? Or, perhaps, your cars missed a lot of preventative stuff that they shouldn't have. (My previous owner decided to let the fuel filter get mud in it, for example).

 

About the Saab - maybe I'm just lucky, but for two years and more than 30000km with my 93 convertible I only had changed the engine oil

And about my XJ - maybe it's a combination between bad year and bad maintenance done by the previous owner plus my own desire to have the Cat always in absolutely perfect condition.

 

What a buch of horse hockey. Chrysler/Merc. at it's best. Not saying Mercedes doesn't make a great car but the video is so cheesey and biased. I am glad to see Mercedes has moved on.

 

There is so much stuff that is inaccurate or just plain wrong in that video, that I don't know where to begin... and I only managed to watch the first 9 minutes of it

 

I hate working on Mercedes The FSS system is a joke and they are mostly ugly, especially the older ones.

 

I have owned them both -- and technically the MB's have always been more advanced than the Jaguars ........ not so much when you get to the x350.

The S class in this video was very advanced for its time and outclassed the Jaguar in every way as far as chassis dynamics.

You can't talk about various models over a 20 year period and compare them.

The w140 Mercedes was very complicated and overbuilt -- it was too big and heavy and they lost a ton of money on it due to its electronics reliability. They even had to limit the introduction of the CPO program because of it. I owned one and it was the reason I bought my x300 in 1995.

Everyone has different experiences -- I loved the MB w210 and everybody I know who had and early W212 had lots of problems.

Sadly SAAB is no more -- Owned five and enjoyed them -- great drivers

The car in the video is not a w140 - I was responding to a previous poster

 

+1

Jag totally turns heads; the Bimmer and Lexus look really old now and the Benz looks totally ubiquitous (at least in NYC.)

 

I think what it boils down probably is the person making the purchase. Jag, BMW, MBZ, Yugo and pinto and anything under the sun will have people who will swear by the brand as the greatest think since the invention of the wheel, to people who had nothing but trouble.

Since 2000. IMO

BMW-2000-2001, nice buisness look car, but looks a bit dated. It's still capable and had it's own set of expensive problems that some people reported.

BMW 2002+ A technical marvel but love it hate styling. Some trouble free motoring some worst nightmare motoring depending on who is asked.

MBZ 2000+ More than capable in performance, good ride, complicated (can be positive or negative), and exspensive parts break (early W220s known to have air suspension leaks and failures. In some cases One, uno, 1, solo, shock costs near $800 or more at the dealer.)

Jag-2003 down to 1998, a bit old school compared to the technofreakish W220 and bmw 745li/750li. Small displacement but more than enough perfromance for every day. if not, there is the XJR and if that aint enough, best bet is the S65 AMG. if that aint enough, maybe a large sedan aint for ya. Styling is viewed a a good classic by some and dated by others. Me personally I think it's one of the sexiest cars made. Like the BMW and MBZ some people have trouble free motoring some have nightmare. Depends on who you ask and their experiences.

The better car is all a matter of preference.. There is some groups that will say the Prius trumps a Jaguar in every way. That is their opinion but my opinion is that I would be caught dead in a Prius because to me it's one of the most uncomfortable, boring, overpriced machinery out there and rather drive a 9mpg car in an $10 a gallon economy than buy one to save gas, it's only redeeming quality. but that's my opinion and might agree and many probably will disagree. But I rather pay for a car that is right for me than pay for a car that right for someone else especially if they aint putting a dime into it.

 

I own a Prius also ....... amazing little car.

 

My 2000 740il would eat that MB for lunch!!! The car spins tires without even trying and It does 0-60 in under 6 seconds all day long!!!! I have gone over 120 from a 65 MPH pass in two car lengths.

These guys are smoking some really good dope.

 

Well actually the quad headlight look from Mercedes came from a retro look of the late 1930s MBZs. But yeah, no one does the sleek quad headlamp look quite like jaguar though.

The CL is one sharp looking car. The w220 is straight. The W140 have better presence than the w220 and nicer interior imo (less pastic and more softer yet thicker leather) and overengineered. Many features found on thse cars are not even found on the W220. The w126 is classic never go out of style with. And the budget cuts can be seen especially in the prices. When new the W220 S-Class is about 75,000-85,000 for the s430-S500. The W140, you needed about $80,000-$90,000 to get a foot i nthe door in 1992 and the W126 560SEL was about $75,000-80,000 in 1986. Adjust for inflation and Mercedes used to be a super expensive car. Now, meh, it's not far off from a new Lexus. Buisness wise they didnt have much choice. Times changes even in automotive world. Back in the day way back before my time even Cadillac and Lincoln had models that was equal in price to even Rolls-Royce. Used to be that if you had a Cadillac, it was a sign you made it to the top. Now it's a sign that you made it 50.